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Joy and Sustenance
It had always amazed Haruna how such a large community could thrive in a land with such limited access to water. She wiped the sweat from her brow as she observed the villagers going about their daily business in the marketplace. It looked very much like a market in the other lands, like the Fire or Lightning countries, with the only difference being the way that people dressed. Many gave her looks as they went about their business, since she did not dress like one of them. Although dressed in robes like an elder, Haruna also had a rakasu draped over it, colored in a blue and yellow design, signifying that she was a nun of stature. She also wore a white boshi to cover her head from the blazing sun and held a monk's spade at her side. Although a tool she used as both a shovel and a walking stick, it could also double as a weapon, though it looked far less intimidating than a sword or other more traditional weapons used by the ninja villages. For the past few days Haruna only observed the village activity, feeling that it was inappropriate to suddenly question the villagers about their lifestyle. She loitered around the tea house, where many would gather to take a break from the day's work. She eavesdropped on their conversations, which were mostly harmless ones about difficulties that they were experiencing that day, what they plan to do later on, and so forth. Although Haruna picked out a thing or two from their conversations, such as the stockpiling of water supplies, very little was concrete information that would be helpful. She hoped that she could find someone to strike up a conversation with, in order to gather more information on how people managed to live in this desert. As per the usual, Kisui found himself in the market to gather some more food to help him last another week. He doesn't pick up a lot of food due to his travels, so he keeps his supplies small, and they're usually non-perishables. As he made his way back to the house, he noticed the girl there with a spade in her hands. He could only suspect she was wanting to test something out in the village. "Can I help you, ma'am?" Kisui asked her. She knew she was an outside by the way she dressed. But he chose not to say anything about it, technically being an outside originally, as well. She almost jumped at the directness of Kisui's query. Her spade wobbled as she scrambled to keep it from toppling into the sand with flailing arms, succeeded in her diversion. Haruna felt her face heat up at the embarrassing display as she propped the polearm against her shoulder to free her hands. The thought of the man giving her a bit of a warning cross her mind, but Haruna also knew that being distracted wasn't anything unusual for herself. «Sorry, I'm not from around here,» she quickly signed, «I am only curious about Sunagakure.» Haruna hoped that the man understood her, though people more often than not cannot understand her. Of course there would be more people capable of speaking than those that cannot, making the study of sign language fairly uncommon. Of course, she could write, but sign language is more convenient for general conversation. Kisui carefully examined her hand movements, noting that it was sign language. Kisui had learned about sign language in the past, and though he was rusty at it, his Rinnegan helped pick up the slack. "Quite a few people are curious about this village, so you aren't the only one. Most people not from here wonder just how such an arid village could sustain itself. The answer is two things. For one, the village runs on an underground spring, which helps keep water plentiful. And two, most of the plants here strive on the heat, surviving on little to no water at all. It's what makes the crops here so valuable. Our main commodity is the sabakumi, or desert fruit. Quite a popular fruit, well known for its tough exterior, but sweet and juicy interior." Her face brightened at the the conversation and a smile came to her lips. Anyone who knew Haruna would have recognized that expression: one that could only mean that her curiosity was exploding from its container. She was practically bouncing off the walls, even forgetting that Kisui even understanding sign language was an amazing feat within itself. «So you mean that there are plants that can minimize their water consumption? Can you show me? And the underground spring: how does the village manage to keep it from drying out while maintaining such a large population? Does the village import water too? Please show me!» "Of course, follow me." As he walked, he kept a steady pace for Haruna to keep up with. After a while, they stopped at a fountain topped with water. "The underground spring is constantly refreshed with rainwater from the west. It's not well known, but there's a rainforest not far from the Land of Wind, that's how the underground spring stays supplied with water. Thanks to aqueducts carved from the rainforest long ago by its original inhabitants, the water flows from the rainforest deep underground where it leads directly into the spring below Sunagakure." As the two continued to walk around the village, he directed her towards the main food growers. "A lot of the village's crops are from a time back when the Land of Wind was a marshland. When the planet began to warm up, the marshlands dried out and became a desert. The fruits and such had to evolve to adapt to this change in climate, so they developed sharp, needle like leaves that keep as much moisture absorbed into the plant as possible. When they're fully grown, farmers remove the needles before harvesting them to ensure they're edible. The needles themselves are ground down into medicine, since they have healthful benefits to the human body." Haruna never heard of a rain forest within the Land of Wind, particularly since the country was known for its vast desert, but he took the man's word for it. At least, she did not believe that the man had any reason to lie to her. The plants themselves were particularly interesting: the ability to survive with very little water was very interesting. Combined with natural desalination processes with willow trees, it could provide a stable food resource in areas where fresh water resources are scarce. However, she would have to do further research on the crop's ability to withstand varying climates before considering it a practical resource for a widespread use. "Hey there!" she heard one of the farmers call over to a friend. It was then that she realized that she forgot her manners. She tapped his guide on the shoulder to make sure she had his attention before signing. «I almost forgot: I am Haruna from the Hongan Temple,» she introduced herself. «Thank you for showing me around the village.» "You're welcome. My name is Kisui Iyoku. I used to hail from Kumogakure, but found myself here after some rather... insinuating circumstances. I been here for five years, now, watching over the village with a steady eye, making sure no threat ever steps foot in the sand that surrounds this village." Looking over at the entrance, Kisui sternly gazed over the gate, remembering the tales of Deidara's destruction towards the village. He wanted to make sure such an event would not repeat. "Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it, they always say. That's why I've dedicated my time here to learning everything about the village. Its infrastructure, its economy, hierarchy, everything, in the sake of keeping this village safe. It's the home that took me in when Kumogakure left me behind." Closing his eyes, Kisui let out a sigh, looking back at Haruna with a smile. Category:Role-Play